SPCA: Confirmed case of rabies in Adams County

Woman treated at local hospital after stray cat bit her in the leg and hand.

Adams County has its first confirmed case of rabies in a human this year, according to the Adams County SPCA.

A woman, whose name was not released, was attacked June 1 by a stray cat in the 400 block of Sibert Road in Straban Township. The cat attacked the woman in her yard and bit her in the leg and hand, said Abigail Avery, shelter manager and humane society police officer with the SPCA.

The victim was sent to Hanover Hospital, where she was treated and immediately started on rabies vaccinations.

She is expected to make a full recovery because she started treatment right away, Avery said. Rabies can be fatal for people who are bitten and do not get treatment.

The cat was sent to a lab in Harrisburg where it tested positive for rabies. The cat had to be put down because animals can only be tested for rabies when they are deceased, Avery said. A veterinarian has to test a section of the animal's brain.

The victim made the choice to put down all of her outside, stray cats — about 20 in total — because they were not vaccinated, Avery said.